Alcohol in Urine: The Short Answer
It depends on which test you take. A standard urine alcohol test looks for alcohol itself and finds it for about 12 hours.3 An EtG test looks for what your body turns alcohol into, and finds it for about 1 to 2 days.1
How Long Alcohol Shows Up on Each Test
| Test | Looks for | How long it finds drinking |
|---|---|---|
| Breath test | Alcohol in your breath | Only while your BAC is above zero, about 12 hours at most |
| Blood test | Alcohol in your blood | Only while your BAC is above zero, about 12 hours at most |
| Urine alcohol test | Alcohol itself | About 12 hours |
| Urine EtG or EtS test | What your body breaks alcohol into | About 1 to 2 days, up to 5 after very heavy drinking |
Breath, blood, and standard urine alcohol tests all look for alcohol itself. They can only find it while it is still in your body, which is about the last 12 hours.3
What Is EtG on a Drug Test?
EtG (ethyl glucuronide) and EtS (ethyl sulfate) are what your liver makes when it breaks down alcohol. They stay in your urine after the alcohol itself is gone, so an EtG test reaches further back than any other common alcohol test.1 Treatment programs and courts use them to check whether someone has been drinking.
EtG Timeline: How Long After 2, 4, or 6 Drinks?
Here is how often EtG shows up in urine after about 2, 4, and 6 drinks, at the common 100 ng/mL cutoff:1
| Amount (peak BAC) | 12 hours later | 24 hours later | 48 hours later |
|---|---|---|---|
| About 2 drinks (0.02%) | Positive in everyone | Half or fewer | Negative in everyone |
| About 4 drinks (0.08%) | Positive in everyone | Over 80% positive | Under 40% positive |
| About 6 drinks (0.12%) | Positive in everyone | Over 80% positive | Under 40% positive |
What that means in practice:
- Drinking last night will almost always show up the next morning.
- One day later, a couple of drinks shows up half the time or less, but 4 or more usually still shows up.
- Two days later, most tests come back negative after up to 6 drinks.
After about 6 drinks, the last positive EtG test comes about 37 hours after drinking on average at the 100 ng/mL cutoff, and about 26 hours after at the 500 ng/mL cutoff.1
The “80-Hour” Claim
Many sites say EtG finds alcohol for up to 80 hours. That doesn't hold up after a normal night out. Even after about 6 drinks, EtG and EtS are rarely found much past 48 hours.1
Very heavy, repeated drinking is different. For people who regularly drink heavily (more than 4 drinks a day for men, more than 3 for women), a 100 ng/mL EtG test catches most heavy drinking days for up to 5 days.2
Why the Cutoff Matters
Labs report a positive EtG test when the level passes a cutoff, measured in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). The lower the cutoff, the further back the test reaches:
- 100 or 200 ng/mL catches any drinking the night before, and heavy drinking for several days.1,2
- 500 ng/mL mostly catches heavy drinking from the previous day. It catches only half of light drinking 12 hours later, and about 2 drinks almost never shows up a day later.1
The higher 500 ng/mL cutoff is recommended to avoid flagging people for alcohol they never drank, such as from hand sanitizer or mouthwash.3 That's also why treatment programs often tell people being tested to avoid alcohol-based sanitizers and mouthwashes.
Does Alcohol Show Up on a Regular Urine Drug Test?
Not unless the lab is asked to look for it. A federal workplace urine drug test checks for marijuana, cocaine, opioids, PCP, amphetamines, and MDMA. Alcohol isn't on the list.4 Federal workplace alcohol tests use a breath test or a saliva screen instead.5
Alcohol only shows up in urine when the test includes it, either as a urine alcohol test or an EtG test. If you aren't sure what your test covers, ask the program or employer that ordered it.
Alcohol in Your Urine vs. Your Blood
Your blood alcohol level (BAC) can keep rising after your last drink.7 After that, only time brings it down. A urine alcohol test only finds alcohol for about 12 hours, but an EtG test can stay positive for a day or more after the alcohol itself is gone.
The type of drink doesn't change the timeline. A 12 oz beer, a 5 oz glass of wine, and a 1.5 oz shot each hold about the same amount of alcohol,6 so what matters is how much you drank in total.
To estimate when your BAC will reach zero, enter your drinks in the BAC calculator. Not sure how many drinks you had? The standard drink calculatorcounts them from size and ABV. For how long you'll feel drunk, see how long being drunk lasts.
Alcohol in Urine FAQ
How long does alcohol stay in your urine?
A standard urine alcohol test finds alcohol for about 12 hours after drinking. An EtG test finds it longer: usually 1 to 2 days, and up to about 5 days after very heavy drinking when the lab uses a low cutoff.
Does alcohol show up on a regular urine drug test?
Not unless the lab is asked to look for it. A federal workplace urine drug test checks for marijuana, cocaine, opioids, PCP, amphetamines and MDMA, and alcohol is not on the list. Alcohol only shows up in urine when the test includes alcohol or EtG.
What is EtG on a drug test?
EtG (ethyl glucuronide) is a substance your liver makes when it breaks down alcohol. It stays in your urine after the alcohol itself is gone, so an EtG test can show drinking from 1 to 2 days earlier.
How long can a probation urine test detect alcohol?
It depends on the test. If it is an EtG test, drinking usually shows up for 1 to 2 days, and up to 5 days after very heavy drinking at a low cutoff. A standard urine alcohol test only reaches back about 12 hours. Ask which test and cutoff your program uses.
Will an EtG test detect 2 drinks from last night?
Probably, if the test is about 12 hours later and the lab uses a 100 or 200 ng/mL cutoff: about 2 drinks showed up in everyone at those cutoffs, but only half the time at 500 ng/mL. By 24 hours they showed up half the time or less, and by 48 hours they did not show up in anyone.
What counts as heavy drinking for an EtG test?
In EtG testing research, heavy drinking means more than 4 drinks in a day for men or more than 3 for women. After that much, an EtG test at a 100 ng/mL cutoff usually catches it for several days.
Is EtG really an 80-hour test?
Not after normal drinking. Even after about 6 drinks, EtG and EtS were not found much past 48 hours. Very heavy, repeated drinking can show up longer at low cutoffs.
Does beer leave your system faster than liquor?
No. A 12 oz beer, a 5 oz glass of wine and a 1.5 oz shot of liquor each hold about the same amount of alcohol, 14 grams. What matters is how much alcohol you drank, not what kind.
Can hand sanitizer or mouthwash cause a positive EtG test?
They contain alcohol, and low cutoffs can pick up that kind of exposure. That is why the higher 500 ng/mL cutoff is recommended, and why people in treatment programs that use EtG tests are often told to avoid alcohol-based hand sanitizers and mouthwashes.
Does drinking water get alcohol out of your system faster?
No. Your liver breaks alcohol down at its own pace, and nothing speeds it up. Cold showers, hot coffee and walking it off do not help either.
Sources
- Jatlow PI et al. Ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate assays in clinical trials, interpretation, and limitations: results of a dose ranging alcohol challenge study and 2 clinical trials. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2014.
- McDonell MG et al. Using ethyl glucuronide in urine to detect light and heavy drinking in alcohol dependent outpatients. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2015.
- Lowe JM et al. Determining ethyl glucuronide cutoffs when detecting self-reported alcohol use in addiction treatment patients. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2015.
- 49 CFR § 40.85. What are the cutoff concentrations for urine drug tests? Electronic Code of Federal Regulations.
- 49 CFR § 40.229. What devices are used to conduct alcohol screening tests? Electronic Code of Federal Regulations.
- NIAAA. What is a standard drink?
- NIAAA. Understanding the dangers of alcohol overdose.
This page explains what published research found. It isn't medical or legal advice, and your test may use a different method or cutoff.